


Give Me a Try

by todxrxki



Series: Karasuno Kenma [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, a ton of character exploration and thinking about how things would change, also karasuno boys x kenma friendship and MORE TO COME IN THE FUTURE, karasuno kenma, kenma is the heart of karasuno instead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-15
Updated: 2019-10-15
Packaged: 2020-12-16 23:24:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21044507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/todxrxki/pseuds/todxrxki
Summary: When he comes down off a particularly good hit, Kuro turns and beams at him, his face glinting slightly with sweat, and Kenma can’t deny it any longer. He has a raging crush on Kuroo Tetsurou. / Kozume Kenma has only ever thought of himself as Karasuno High School's second setter - nothing interesting, nothing special. But after an intense rivalry game, the captain of Nekoma takes notice of him, and Kenma's life suddenly gets a lot more exciting.





	Give Me a Try

Kenma presses himself against the window, head bobbing back and forth as the bus crawls down the road. He casts a glance to the side, where Shouyou sits, practically vibrating in excitement in already. Kenma doesn’t really get the big deal. Words such as ‘rivalry’ have never meant much to him. Despite impassioned speeches from Shouyou, Daichi, and Ukai, Kenma can’t grasp the significance of Nekoma as compared to any other school they’ve played. So it’s not as though he’s really looking forward to the practice match. 

“Oh my god, we’re almost in Tokyo,” Shouyou says, leaning far too much into Kenma’s space for Kenma’s comfort to press his face against the window. “Hey, Kenma, do you see the Tokyo Tower? Or the Imperial Palace? How about the Shinsou-ji Temple? Do you think we’ll get to go on a tour?”

Kenma tries to lightly elbow Shouyou off of him. “We’re not here for tourism, remember? We’re here to play against Nekoma. That’s it.”

Tanaka presses his face in between the seats, a scary expression on his face. “Those city boys better not get anywhere near our Kiyoko,” he says, his tone a weird mix of threatening and reverent. “They’ll stay far away if they know what’s good for ‘em.”

Kenma casts a glance up to where Kiyoko is seated, thankfully oblivious to Tanaka’s comments. He breathes out a long breath. “I hope they have more dignity than all of you,” he remarks, crossing his arms. 

“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?” Tanaka protests, practically crawling over the seat to get to Kenma. Ennoshita, who’s sitting beside him to keep him under control, grabs his arm to get him to settle back down and shoots an apologetic glance at Kenma. Kenma gives a light lift of his shoulder in response. At this point, he’s all but used to it.

He certainly never thought he’d be one of the main setters on a high school volleyball team. Volleyball hadn’t been a part of his plans at all, actually, not until he’d gotten lost near his house one day and nearly been run over by a kid on a bike.

The kid had grinned at him and extended a hand. He’d asked where Kenma attended school, and then, after realizing that they attended the same school, he’d freaked out and demanded that Kenma join his middle school team. Kenma hadn’t known how to refuse. He’d then insisted that Kenma apply to the high school he’d been dreaming of going to for years and years so they could continue playing together, and once again, Kenma hadn’t known how to refuse, so he’d done it; it was less trouble than trying to argue with an insistent Shouyou. And now here he is, slumped over in Karasuno’s bus, surrounded by quite possibly the weirdest conglomeration of high school volleyball players in the world.

“We’re totally gonna win today, right? Right?” Shouyou says, bouncing up and down even more in his seat now.

“Please calm down a little,” Kenma says. “I don’t know if we’re going to win or not, because I haven’t even seen the other team yet. But there’s a chance.”

“A big chance!” Noya pipes up from in front of him, draping his body over the chair. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have an Ennoshita beside him to restrain him. Instead, he has Asahi, who nervously pats his back and tells him to settle down, which is far from enough to restrain him. “We’re gonna destroy them! Tear ‘em limb from limb! Make ‘em eat the ground they stand on!” 

“Hell yeah!” Tanaka hoots. “They can lick our dirty shoes! Taste the bitterness of getting their asses kicked!” 

This is enough to make Daichi turn around, fixing the two of them with a hard glare. Tanaka gulps and straightens in his seat. Noya seems to realize that they’re in trouble from that, and sits back down, turning his attention back to whatever he’s been chattering on to Asahi about for the past hour or so. Kenma curls back up against the window and wonders what god he’d pissed off for these to be his fellow second years.

After what feels like a century of Tanaka and Noya’s shouting interspersed with Daichi’s glares, they finally arrive at Nekoma High School. Kenma makes his way past Hinata as quickly as he can to grab his bag so that he can get off of this godforsaken bus. He breathes in deeply after his feet finally touch solid ground again. There’s a chuckle from his side.

“Don’t think I’ve ever seen you move like that before, Kenma-san,” Tsukishima says in his typical snarky tone. Kenma looks over at him. He’s only been on the team for a few weeks now, but he’s taken that time to piss off every member of the team on multiple occasions: most notably, Shouyou, Tanaka, and Noya, probably because they’re the most vocal in their responses. He doesn’t really bother Kenma that much, though; maybe because Kenma’s used to constantly worrying about what people are thinking, so having someone lay it all out on the table is almost refreshing.

Kenma nods. “The bus tends to be too much in the worst of ways,” he says flatly.

Tsukishima’s lips tilt up, just the slightest. “Can’t say I disagree there,” he says. “Being on this team is like being confined in a cage of feral monkeys.”

_ They’re not that bad,  _ Kenma wants to protest, but that’d be a lie, so instead he goes with, “You get used to it.”

After they put their things down in their room -  _ one room,  _ Kenma notes grumpily, so the chances of him being allowed to sleep as much as he’d like are fairly low - Daichi commands them all out for a run. Shouyou takes off running, leaving Kenma in his dust as usual. The rest follow behind him, Tanaka and Noya hollering about how they’d catch up to him, since they’re the  _ senpai _ . Kenma thinks they really take this whole  _ senpai  _ thing way too seriously. 

It takes a few minutes for Kenma to realize he’s even more behind than usual, and then another minute or two to realize he has absolutely no idea where he is. 

_ Shit,  _ Kenma thinks. Well, there’s nothing to be done about it now.

He sits down on the edge of a fence, taking out his mobile phone and pulling up one of his new games. The game itself isn’t that enjoyable, but it’s a decent distraction from the fact that he has no idea where he is and no idea how to get back. He figures that if he sits here long enough someone will realize he’s gone and come to get him.

“Hey,” comes a low voice from behind him, “are you lost?”

_ Holy shit.  _ Kenma jumps, nearly jostling his phone out of his hands. He whips his head around to see a guy there - a really tall, fairly muscular guy with hair sticking up all over the place, a smirk stretched over his lips.  _ Well, this is it _ , Kenma thinks to himself. This is how he dies. There’s no way that he could come out of a confrontation with a guy like this alive; he’s not properly leveled enough to have a high enough defense stat to combat this guy’s offense. He glances wildly to the left and the right, trying to see if there’s any viable escape route. Maybe if he jumped over a fence - but he’s just not that  _ tall  _ -

The smirk falls off the guy’s lips. “Uh, are you okay?” he asks, slower this time. “Sorry, you just looked like a fish out of water sitting here, so I thought I could help you find your way back if you wanted…”

_ So he’s not planning to kidnap me?  _ Kenma peers up at him curiously. His gray eyes look serious, sincere; there’s no trace of the self-assured smirk that had been there only moments before. Maybe Kenma really does have a chance of surviving this. “I’m okay,” he manages to say, keeping his head tilted back towards the ground. “I… I am a little lost, but I’ll just wait for someone to come find me.”

“That’s a hell of a tactic there,” says the guy, his eyes lighting up a little bit with something Kenma thinks might be mirth. He sits down next to Kenma on the fence. “Well, I’m sure you won’t mind if I wait with you, then.” 

Kenma looks back over at the guy, realizing that the coat he’s wearing looks almost like a volleyball jacket, and then he spots it -  _ Nekoma,  _ clear as day on his sweatpants. So this guy is from the school they’re going to be playing, then. He tries to shift himself around to hide the Karasuno High School on his t-shirt, praying that this guy won’t realize. Maybe if he acts standoffish the guy will just leave, but then he’d just be alone, and Kenma’s not sure if that’s better. He’s heard the rumors about Tokyo, after all. 

The guy tilts his head towards Kenma again. “You got a name?” he asks, and Kenma’s still not convinced that this guy won’t kill him. 

Still, something within him, maybe some survival instinct, possesses him to mumble to the guy, “Kozume… Kenma. But… people just call me Kenma.”

“A nice name,” the guy says, his voice still with a slightly threatening edge. “My name’s Kuroo Tetsurou, by the way.”

Kenma doesn’t care. “Okay,” he says, in hopes that Kuroo Tetsurou will leave him alone.

“You don’t seem like you’re a Tokyo boy,” Kuroo observes. “Where are you from?” 

It’s an observation that Kenma doesn’t think most people would pick up on. He doesn’t know what to make of the fact that this guy noticed. Eyes fixed on his phone, he says, “I’m from Miyagi.”

“And you play volleyball,” he says, his eyes on Kenma’s shoes now. Kenma shifts again to make sure that he can’t see the school on his shirt. He doesn’t want this to become a whole thing, a topic of conversation.

“Yeah,” Kenma mumbles. “I’m a setter.”

Kuroo laughs, a thick, throaty cackle that has Kenma’s head snapping up to look at him.  _ Weird,  _ Kenma thinks, and then he has the terrible thought that Kuroo’s not so scary when he smiles - kind of endearing, actually. He pushes that thought away immediately. “Wish our setter was as low-maintenance as you seem to be,” he says, sounding amused. “Our setter thinks he can win the game alone, and he’s a first year, can you believe that? He’s good, but not good enough to match his massive ego.”

It’s weird, Kenma thinks. Kenma’s responses have been sparse at best, yet Kuroo keeps the conversation going effortlessly, without pausing or looking as though he thinks Kenma as weird. It’s kind of… nice, in a way. Kenma feels himself relax the slightest bit. “No one can win a game alone,” he says. “Volleyball is about the strongest team on the court, not the strongest individual.”

“Right? Well, you should tell him that,” Kuroo says. “When we play your team tomorrow.”

Kenma nearly drops his phone all over again. God, and he’d tried so hard to disguise his Karasuno shirt from him, but it seems that this guy is way too observant for that. He takes in the self-satisfied smirk on the guy’s face, and is about to say something when a voice pierces through the air. “Kenma!” 

_ Oh, great,  _ Kenma thinks. Daichi had been sent to find him. He braces himself for a lecture, but Daichi’s hard gaze falls on Kuroo and there’s a subtle shift in his expression. Kenma imagines that Daichi is probably also under the impression that Kuroo is a delinquent that’s harassing Kenma, though beyond his odd shrewd observations Kenma doesn’t feel all that harassed. 

“Come on,” Daichi says roughly. “The team’s been looking for you.” 

Kenma nods, standing up and picking up his bag, tossing a glance back at Kuroo. Kuroo gives a tiny quirk of his lips. “See you tomorrow, Kenma,” he says, too low for Daichi to hear.

Kenma nods and gives a tiny wave before he walks away.

.

Daichi saves his lecture for after they’ve left Kuroo far behind, which Kenma’s grateful for. It’s his usual “you need to pay more attention to your surroundings, lest the rest of the team have to chase after you” speech. The first few times Kenma had heard it, it’d been kind of scary, but over the past year he’s realized that Daichi’s speeches tend to have more bark than bite and come from a place of genuine worry. He spends the time observing his surroundings rather than listening to the lecture - that tower looks like it could host a fairly powerful final boss; that house looks like one that could be ravaged for treasure; that dog looks like it could be an assistant on an epic quest. Anything to keep his mind off of the enigma that had been Kuroo Tetsurou (and Daichi’s speech).

Hinata’s all over him when he gets back, yelling something about how Kenma could have died (a bit dramatic, really) and how freaked out he was. Tsukishima makes a snarky comment under his breath about the decibel level in the room. Tanaka and Noya stand on either side of him, both throwing an arm over his shoulders as they rag on him for getting lost  _ again.  _ It’s not his fault though, Kenma thinks. They all just run too fast. How should he be expected to keep up with them? 

He falls asleep restlessly that night, surrounded by the screams and yells of his incredibly loud teammates, and very determinedly does not think about the fact that he’s going to play against the shrewdly observant Kuroo Tetsurou tomorrow.

.

“This gym is so nice!” Shouyou enthuses as they walk up to the gym. “I wonder if all Tokyo schools have cool gyms like this! Hey, d’you think we can stop by -”

“No,” Daichi says firmly, cutting him off. “Get in line.”

They step forwards, standing in front of the Nekoma team. Kenma glances down the line until his eyes fall on the person at the end. Kuroo Tetsurou flashes him a bright grin and a wave of his hand. Embarrassed, Kenma drops his eyes to the ground and hopes no one will notice. 

But even if no one had noticed before, they certainly do when the two lines disperse and Kuroo immediately makes a beeline for Kenma.

“Karasuno’s setter,” he hums. “Can’t wait to see you play today. I get the feeling it’s going to be an interesting game. But, just so you know - we’re gonna win.”

“Okay,” Kenma says with a shrug.

“Okay?” The expression on Kuroo’s face quickly changes to that of incredulity. “What, do you not care if you win or lose?”

“Not really,” Kenma replies. “In the end, it’s just a single volleyball game. Volleyball’s just… okay.”

“Hm?” Kuroo’s eyebrows shoot up. “Why do you think that is?” 

Kenma wants very much to not respond, to ignore him, but for some reason he finds himself saying, “Maybe I just haven’t had an interesting enough opponent.”

“Well,” Kuroo says, that stupid smile playing at his lips again, “maybe I’ll just have to provide you with an incredibly interesting opponent.”

Tanaka and Noya take this very moment to interrupt the two of them, Tanaka with his hands on his hips, screaming about “What business do you have with our setter?!” while Noya backs him up with his arms crossed. Kenma doesn’t know how to explain to them that he’s not in need of their protection. He doesn’t think they’d listen even if he did. 

“Just a friendly greeting,” Kuroo says, holding up his hands in a show of innocence. “See you on the court, Kenma.”

Kenma means to purposely mess up Kuroo’s name as a show of indifference, so he says, “See you then, Kuro.”

However, this completely backfires. Kuroo seems to either not realize that it’s meant as an insult or not care, because he just beams and says, “Kuro it is, then,” with a content look on his face. Which means that apparently Kuroo - no,  _ Kuro _ has just scored himself a nickname. How stupid.

After Kuro walks off, Shouyou launches himself at Kenma, latching onto his arm with huge eyes. “How d’you know the captain of Nekoma?!” he asks frantically.

The  _ what? _

Kuro certainly hadn’t mentioned anything about being Nekoma’s captain, but then again, he hadn’t said anything about Nekoma at all other than mentioning their setter. Kenma’s struck suddenly by how he knows basically nothing about Kuro.

He stutters out, “I… I didn’t know he was the captain.”

“Well, he shook hands with Daichi-san!” Hinata says brightly. “So he’s gotta be the captain! He’s kind of scary, don’t you think? But how do you know him?” 

“I, uh, I ran into him when I was lost,” Kenma admits. “And then he wouldn’t stop talking to me. That’s basically it.” 

“Hey, maybe the Nekoma captain likes you!” Hinata chirps. “He’s the captain of a powerhouse school! That’s so cool!” 

“He’d better stay away from our Kenma,” Tanaka growls, putting a hand on Kenma’s shoulder that Kenma quickly shakes off. He’s not anybody’s anything, least of all Tanaka’s.

Once they get on the court, though, Hinata starts his own meltdown as all of a sudden he recognizes Nekoma’s setter.

“Th-that’s  _ Kageyama Tobio!”  _ he practically yells, eyes as big as saucers. “I hate that guy! We have to win! I have to defeat him!” 

“You make it sound like he’s your mortal enemy,” Tsukishima says dryly.

“It would be funny for Hinata of all people to have a mortal enemy,” Yamaguchi agrees.

“He is my mortal enemy!” Hinata cries. “I’m going to destroy him!”

“At least grow to 1.5 meters first,” Tsukishima snorts, which causes Hinata to kick him.

Hinata frowns. “None of you recognize him? He’s the King of the Court, from Kitagawa Daiichi! He lived in Miyagi up until high school, and I played against him in junior high. He has a terrible personality, but he’s really good! Like a genius setter!” 

Kenma definitely hasn’t heard of any King of the Court, but Daichi and Suga are looking at the court with dawning looks of recognition on their faces. “It is the kid from the tournament,” Suga says, lightly elbowing Daichi. “The one that destroyed Hinata’s team.”

“Shit,” Daichi curses under his breath. “Guess we’ve got our work cut out for us then, huh?”

Suga grins brightly at him and pats him on the shoulder. “Oh, don’t worry! We always did!” 

Tanaka looks like he’s about to get  _ too  _ fired up, so Kenma places a light hand on his arm. “You’re no good to anyone when you’re in your obnoxious mode,” he says.

Ennoshita nods in agreement, putting a hand on Tanaka’s other shoulder. “Keep it under control,” he agrees, but coming from Ennoshita, it sounds like a threat with an  _ or else  _ tacked onto the end. Which is why Ennoshita has long been Kenma’s favorite fellow second year.

He follows Ennoshita to the bench, because he’s fairly sure that Suga is going to start this game. It’s fine with Kenma, though; this way he can get some time to observe the other team before he goes in to play against them. He flashes Shouyou a subtle thumbs up when their new coach Ukai puts him in over Narita (“Just for this match,” Ukai says stiffly, though Kenma gets the feeling it might last for longer depending on how well he and Suga can utilize him). He watches as the match starts off with a bang. 

Nekoma seems to focus mainly on defense. It’s interesting, Kenma thinks; he’d kind of thought of Kuro in his mind as a flashy wing spiker. Instead, Kuro is a middle blocker, one with incredibly good blocks. He blocks one of Asahi’s spikes and Kenma hears Ennoshita whistle beside him. 

“Your new friend’s blocks are killer,” Ennoshita mumbles from beside him.

“He’s not my friend,” Kenma replies automatically, but he knows that Ennoshita won’t believe him. 

He watches the way the team moves, almost centering themselves around their setter, who admittedly does seem to be a prodigy. It’s hard to believe he’s a first year with the way that he tosses - perfectly, quickly, as though it’s a reflex. Sometimes it seems like the rest of his team is struggling to keep up with the pace of his tosses, though. Kenma wonders if he can take advantage of that.

They lose the first set, which isn’t shocking to Kenma. Nekoma seems to have more experience and more strategy than the still-building Karasuno does. He does his usual second game switch with Suga, who pats him on the shoulder and says, “Tear those cats limb from limb,” which is both inspiring and mildly terrifying. 

Kuro smirks at him from across the net. “Welcome,” he drawls. “Been waiting for you to join the match.”

Kenma gives a slight nod of his head. “I’ve been watching,” he says, quietly enough that he hopes Kuro won’t hear. “I’m ready now.”

“Ohoho?” Kuro says. “Well, I’m ready to see it.”

Asahi gives him a glance when Kenma turns back to face him, a glance that Kenma’s pretty sure means “want me to tell him off for you?”. It’s almost laughable coming from Azumane Asahi, possibly one of the least confrontational people on the planet, yet Kenma’s pretty sure that for one of their team members, Asahi would do his best - and Asahi can look plenty scary when he wants to. Kenma shakes his head this time, though. He doesn’t need anyone to protect him from Kuro, he doesn’t think.

It’s kind of exciting to have a rival worth watching out for.

He plays the way he always does - constantly watching, constantly calculating. Hinata seems to be in top form today, but he can only toss to Hinata if no one’s watching him, lest Hinata get completely stuffed. Asahi is usually the best option, but he can’t toss to him in impossible situations because he’s a little afraid Asahi will quit the team again (and take Noya with him). And of course, Tanaka is an option too, but he’s perhaps immaturely annoyed by Tanaka’s screaming whenever he gets a successful kill. So he alternates, choosing the best person for the situation. His eyes flick from player to player, from the players on his team to the blockers on Nekoma’s side. But about halfway through a (very intense) match, he feels himself starting to run low. 

Nekoma scores again. This time, Kageyama tosses, one of his super quick tosses, and somehow -  _ somehow  _ \- Kuro’s able to get to it, even though it’s quick enough to defy some kind of scientific law. He hits the ball with a sharp crack and it lands before anyone can get to it, not even Noya. Kenma’s breath catches in his throat as he watches Kuro land, majestic and graceful. It’s captivating.

“How’s that for interesting?” Kuro says. He looks stupidly smug but Kenma can’t even bring himself to care. 

This just might be the final boss that he’s been searching for.

He starts putting in even more effort after that, because he wants to see how well he can actually fare against this potential final boss called Nekoma High School. Toss to Shouyou, Shouyou blocked, Noya saves it (thank god for Noya, really), toss to Asahi, Asahi manages a kill. He glances desperately over at the scoreboard - 21-17. God, there’s a part of him that doesn’t want to lose anymore. It’s terrifying. 

Toss to Asahi, toss to Tanaka, toss to Daichi in the back row just to switch things up. He thinks he notices Kuro lift his eyebrows at that last one, but there’s no time to dwell on it. Toss, toss, toss, receive, put every square inch of muscle he has into trying to get the ball where he wants it. Try to tire out the setter, the core of their team. But then… 

But then, the score is 24-21, he tosses to Hinata as quick as he can, Hinata jumps to hit it, and… 

Jumps into the net. 

The referee immediately calls a net foul, and the point is given to Nekoma, providing them with a match win. Kenma pants and immediately slumps down onto the floor, trying to get his breath under control. And then, there’s a hand stretched out to him. 

“Good game,” Kuro says. “Karasuno’s brain, huh?”

Kenma stares up at him quizzically. “...what?”

“C’mon. You’re clearly the one strategizing for the team, all the more when you’re on the court, though I wouldn’t be shocked if you were doing it from the bench as well. So you’re the brain of Karasuno.”

Kenma reluctantly accepts Kuro’s hand up, pulling himself back up to his feet. He lets go of Kuroo’s hand as soon as he’s steady. “If we end up being good this season, it won’t be because of me,” Kenma says coolly. 

There’s something in Kuro’s face that shifts slightly. “You don’t give yourself enough credit,” he says, in a voice that isn’t at all fitting of the intimidating vibe he tends to give off.

Two loud yelling voices interrupt their conversation, and their heads both whip around to see Shouyou getting very close to yelling in the face of Nekoma’s setter - Kageyama Tobio, Kenma remembers. Kuro’s eyebrows shoot up. The look on his face is one that Kenma’s seen on Daichi’s face about a million times when his underclassmen are being unruly, which is a good portion of the time.  _ He really is the captain,  _ Kenma thinks, which is quickly followed by  _ so why is he so interested in me?  _ It’s not like Kenma’s anything special. He’s just Karasuno’s second setter. He’s never been even a blip on any other team’s radar before.

“I gotta go handle this,” Kuro says apologetically. “It’ll look bad if your captain’s the only one separating those two. But, hey - don’t leave yet. There’s something I want to ask you.”

Kenma watches as Kuro darts off to yell at Kageyama.  _ Something I want to ask you?  _ What could Kuro possibly want to ask him? Something volleyball related, maybe? But wouldn’t that be more suitable for Daichi?

Kenma really and truly can’t get a read on Kuroo Tetsurou, and it’s starting to bother him.

“That rooster hair asshole’s certainly taken an interest in you,” Tsukishima says from his side. “What did you do? Hide rooster feed in your pocket?”

“That would make more sense,” Kenma says. “As it is, absolutely nothing.” 

“Hm,” Tsukishima says, like he doesn’t believe him, and then, “What the hell is that orange dumbass doing, anyways?”

Kenma shrugs. He’s never, in the years he’s known him, been able to understand Shouyou’s complete and utter brainlessness sometimes. This seems to be one of his brainless moments: attacking the setter of their ‘rival’ team, of all things. But Daichi seems to be handling it, at least. 

Kuro reemerges after a few minutes, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly. “Hey, sorry about that,” he says. “Uh, so I was kind of hoping maybe I could… get your number? And we could talk sometime? Maybe? About volleyball, and stuff…”

Kenma can hear Tsukishima snort beside him. And the logical part of him knows that he should probably say no. He has no idea what Kuro wants from him, after all, and they’ve known each other for what amounts to less than a day. But still, there’s another part of him that’s curious about the boy in front of him. So he nods. He takes Kuro’s phone and enters his number under  _ Kenma  _ and ignores Tsukishima’s snorts behind him.

Kuro smiles. “Thanks, Kenma,” he says, and then, turning to address Tsukishima, “I expect to see better blocks out of you next game.” 

Tsukishima’s lip curls up. “It’s just a stupid game,” he snarls. 

“Maybe when you suck,” Kuroo says, something taunting in his eyes, and  _ huh.  _ Kuro really does like to provoke people, huh? Kenma makes a mental note to not let Kuro find out how to provoke him. He turns back to Kenma. “I’ll see you next game, Karasuno’s brain,” he says with a little wave. 

Kenma watches him leave and very determinedly does not turn to look at the rest of the team, particularly Tsukishima, who is snorting loudly about “Karasuno’s brain”. 

  
  


.

From:  _ Unknown Number _

Hey Kenma, it’s Kuroo (or Kuro, I guess). Was great to meet you over the last few days or whatever haha

Kenma had told himself he was not going to reply. There was no reason to, really. Kuro had clearly been mistaken into thinking that Kenma was a core member of the team, and it would be wrong of him to lead him on any further. But then his curiosity gets the best of him.

To:  _ Kuro _

why me?

From:  _ Kuro _

What do you mean? 

To:  _ Kuro _

i mean there are a lot of really talented players out there, even on the karasuno team. why would you want to talk to me? 

From:  _ Kuro _

Not everything is about volleyball!! But even with volleyball I still think you’ve got a lot going for you with the way that you’re able to observe players and decide what to do based on that. You’re very strategical, almost a genius I feel like

From:  _ Kuro _

You’re really interesting, Kozume Kenma

To:  _ Kuro _

not really 

To:  _ Kuro _

but i still feel like i know almost nothing about you

From:  _ Kuro _

Well, I’m an open book. Ask me anything.

To:  _ Kuro _

just... tell me what you think i need to know.

From:  _ Kuro _

What is there to know about me? I’m Kuroo Tetsurou, third year at Nekoma High School, team captain, and every other team’s worst nightmare. Tend to get called a bastard a lot. Live with my dad and grandparents, since I don’t have any siblings. I really like Chemistry.

To:  _ Kuro _

hang on, you’re a nerd? 

To:  _ Kuro _

honestly didn’t see that one coming

From:  _ Kuro _

Who are you calling a nerd?! You’re the one that was playing phone games when I met you for the first time

To:  _ Kuro _

i guess that’s fair. school is boring though

From:  _ Kuro _

Or you’re just lazy

To:  _ Kuro _

i just prefer not to waste my energy on it

From:  _ Kuro _

Well, tell me about yourself then! You’ve heard about me, so it’s only fair

To:  _ Kuro _

what is there to say? i’m kozume kenma, second year at karasuno, second setter. i got dragged into playing volleyball by my friend, the tiny redhead, but i like video games better. i don’t like getting tired or sweaty. i also don’t have any siblings

From:  _ Kuro _

And you’re incredibly observant

To:  _ Kuro _

how do you figure that

From:  _ Kuro _

You weren’t shocked at all when I showed up at the game, so you figured out I was from Nekoma. You figured out we depended on Kageyama and tried to get the ball to him to tire him out. I could feel you watching people as we played to figure out the best move to make

To:  _ Kuro _

you’re observant too

From:  _ Kuro _

A little, but it’s more of just that I just like watching you

From:  _ Kuro _

Sorry, that was weird

Kenma contemplates throwing his phone out the window. He doesn’t know how to reply, so he buries himself in his pillows until Kuro texts again, back to the usual, normal questions. He replies once again. He doesn’t even know why it’s so easy to text Kuro - he doesn’t even text  _ Shouyou  _ this often - but it is. It feels as natural as breathing, like he doesn’t have to worry so much about what he says.

He wonders what that means.

.

Life goes on. Karasuno plays Aoba Johsai in the Inter-High preliminaries and loses. Kenma comes face-to-face with Oikawa Tooru yet again, and decides that he has one of the shittiest personalities he’s ever seen. When Oikawa dumps the ball right in front of him and then gives him a smug, self-satisfied smirk, Kenma determines that they have to beat them next time. He wants to wipe the stupid smirk off Oikawa’s face.

He keeps texting Kuro. Most of the time, it’s about minor things: what they’d had for dinner that night, Kenma’s favorite games, Kuro’s favorite music. But then, one day, he comes to practice and is informed that they’re going to be going to a Tokyo training camp along with Nekoma and other schools from the Tokyo area. That night, he gets a text from Kuro:  _ So you’re coming to Tokyo right? _

_ did you have something to do with this?  _ Kenma replies. 

_ Maybe,  _ is Kuro’s response.  _ The rest of the team backed me up too. But I kinda just wanted to see you again. _

Kenma almost throws his phone all over again. It’s too  _ much _ ; he’s never had someone talk to him like Kuro does, made him feel like he’s special somehow. And it’s weird that the captain of a powerhouse school, a guy who could clearly have the attention of anyone he wanted, would take so much of an interest in him. Yet… yet somehow, he’s really looking forward to the Tokyo training camp.

Even if it means he has to spend way too many nights sleeping in a room with Noya and Tanaka.

.

Despite efforts from Tsukishima and Yamaguchi as well as the team’s new manager, Yachi, Shouyou still manages to fail his exams and has to take makeup exams on the first day of training camp. The team heads out to Tokyo without him. Kenma glances down at his phone, sending off a quick message to Kuro, and Noya bounces in the seat beside him. 

“Duuuude, who’re you texting?” he asks, elbowing him. “Shouyou?”

“No,” Kenma says flatly, and then, “does it matter?”

“Never seen you text anyone else,” Noya says. “You never reply to  _ my  _ texts!” 

“I can’t read your texts,” Kenma mutters. 

“Well, whose texts can you read then?!” Noya asks. “Holy shit, is it the rooster captain from Nekoma? You’re kidding! Who knew it’d be Kenma that’d get the coolest connections?”

“I  _ never _ said it was,” Kenma insists, but it’s too late - Noya’s already gotten started, and there’s no stopping him at this point. Kenma shoots a quick glare at Ennoshita, who’d settled in beside Kinoshita in the back and looks particularly relaxed as he just smiles back at Kenma. Kenma groans and pulls his jacket over his head, starting up his PSP to drown out the noise around him. 

After a few minutes, Noya stops babbling about Kenma and Kuro and switches his focus to the game that Kenma’s playing. He yells “kick some ass!” when Kenma’s about to defeat the boss he’s been fighting for the past ten minutes, which causes Daichi to turn around and send Noya a pointed glare. Kenma shoots a pleading look at Daichi, who just shakes his head and turns back to Suga.  _ Traitor,  _ Kenma grumbles internally. 

Once they finally, finally arrive, Kenma feels his heart speed up as he gets off of the bus. He tells himself it has nothing at all to do with the fact that he’s going to be seeing Kuro again in the next few minutes. Ennoshita walks up to him, looking somewhat amused. “You look excited,” he says.

“What?” Kenma replies.

“There’s just a look in your eyes,” is Ennoshita’s response. “Dunno how to put it exactly. But I’ve never seen you look this excited about volleyball.”

Narita grins. “Almost like it’s not about volleyball at all…”

“Maybe because I finally get to breathe without Noya yelling in my ear,” Kenma says, crossing his arms across his chest defensively and shooting them a glare.

“We all have to take our turn,” Kinoshita says. “And to be fair, I did sit with Tanaka this time, which isn’t much better.”

“He was asleep most of the time,” Kenma says.

“But he  _ snores. _ ”

Kenma has to admit he has a point there; it’s why Kenma does his best to sleep as far away from Tanaka as possible during the training camps. He’s also a little bit clingy in his sleep and tends to latch onto the nearest possible person. So he gives a tiny nod. “I guess you can understand my suffering,” he admits reluctantly, and glances back over towards the gym.

Almost as soon as Kenma walks in the door, he’s met with a grinning Kuroo Tetsurou. Scratching the back of his neck, Kuro says, “Hey, I was wondering when you all would get here.” 

“Hey,” Kenma says, shifting from leg to leg. After talking to Kuro for the last few weeks exclusively over text, it’s kind of weird to be confronted with him face to face again. He makes himself say, “Uh, thanks for inviting us or… whatever.”

“It wasn’t hard to convince Coach,” Kuro says with a lopsided smile. “You’re our fated rivals or whatever after all. I’m just glad you were able to make it. Though, fair warning: we’re gonna kick your asses all over again at this training camp. We’ve got a little trick up our sleeves this time.”

Kenma can’t help the way his lips quirk up a little at that. “We’ll see about that.”

During their first practice match against Nekoma, though, Kenma realizes what Kuro had been referring to. There’s a new person on Nekoma’s side of the court. He’s incredibly tall, lanky, and has vivid green eyes, but what stands out to Kenma is the clumsy way that he plays. During their first time out, Kenma says, “Target number 11.”

“Hm? The new guy?” Daichi asks, casting a glance over at the Nekoma huddle. “Why d’you say that?”

“He’s never played volleyball before,” Kenma says.

“Whaaaat?” Tanaka’s eyes widen. “They wouldn’t play some kid that’s never played volleyball before! That’s way too crazy, man!” 

“This is his first season playing,” Kenma repeats, his eyes flicking back to the Nekoma huddle. “And his receives are terrible. If we can get some points off of that, we’d have a better chance.”

All of their eyes trail over to where the boy in question is sitting, his eyes too big as he listens to their captain speaking, and then back over to Kenma. At once, they all nod. “It’s worth a try, I guess,” Daichi says.

“Hopefully they don’t realize how terrible our resident tiny simpleton’s receives are and target him in response,” Tsukishima says, deadpan.

Kenma glances over, imagining Shouyou standing there and squawking “They’re not that bad!” Hopefully Shouyou will arrive soon, he thinks.

Unfortunately for Kenma, despite his shrewd observational skills and the fact that his team takes his advice and targets Lev, they lose their first match to Nekoma and have to do the punishment exercises. It’s only been one so far and Kenma already feels positively exhausted from head to toe. God, is the rest of the training camp going to be like this? 

“You’ll get us next time,” Kuro says, beaming at an exhausted Kenma, and Kenma just glares in response to the sarcastic undertone in his voice.

Later on that day, Kuro approaches him again. “I see you’ve noticed our chink in the armor, as it were,” he says, sounding amused.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Kuro exhales, glancing back out at the court. “I know it was you that figured it out,” he says. “C’mon, you guys started targeting Lev after you talked in a timeout. I’m not an idiot.”

“It’s like he’s never played volleyball before,” Kenma observes.

“That’s because he hasn’t,” Kuro confirms. “But he’s tall and athletic, so we’re giving him a chance. Yaku - our libero - isn’t so pleased with me or Coach. He’s constantly bitching about Lev’s receives.” 

Kenma shudders at the idea of trying to coach an entirely new player into how to play volleyball. He’s suddenly glad that Karasuno’s first years are all decently good. “I don’t blame him.”

“I can’t ever expose our team’s weaknesses around you, it seems,” Kuro says, his eyes twinkling. “You’ll snatch them right up and exploit them. You really are the threat no one sees, aren’t you?”

“I don’t know if I’d go that far,” Kenma says, shifting from foot to foot. He doesn’t know how to deal with all the weird praise that Kuro heaps on him. He’s never had anyone talk to him like this, like he’s something special.

“Still, I wish you’d have some mercy on Lev,” Kuro says. “At this rate, he might just quit the team.”

_ Not my problem,  _ Kenma wants to say, but what comes out instead is “I don’t do mercy.”

Kuro gives him a long, lingering glance that sends a weird shiver down Kenma’s spine. “So it seems,” he says with an odd note in his voice. 

Kenma’s breath catches in his throat.

.

During the second part of the training camp, things take yet another turn.

After a day filled with losing over and over again to schools that clearly have much more experience than them, Kenma’s ready to hole himself up in the Karasuno room. He’s hoping that some of the other…  _ calmer  _ portions of the Karasuno team will have taken refuge there as well and maybe he’ll be left in peace to play his game for a little bit. But unfortunately, it seems he can never be so lucky. 

Shouyou is in the room when he gets there, because he does everything at a super intense speed, it seems. “Someone’s been looking for you!” he yelps. 

“Okay,” Kenma says, which he means as  _ I don’t care.  _

Shouyou has never been that great at subtlety. “The captain of Nekoma! He wants you to practice with him!”

Kenma very much does not want to practice any more, even if it is with Kuro, who he’d been looking forward to seeing again just the slightest bit. He shakes his head. “I don’t want to practice any more. I just want to lay down.”

“Aw, c’mon!” Shouyou whines. “This is such a cool opportunity! Who knows who else will be there?! Maybe that ace from Fukurodani, he was really cool! Hey, maybe if you go, you could put a good word in for me and I could join their practices! Kenma,  _ Kenmaaaa,  _ please!” 

And at that very moment, Noya and Tanaka walk in, both clutching magazines in their hands. Their eyes light up once they fall upon Kenma. “Hey, Kenmaaaa,” Noya says, that stupid grin on his face. “Show us who your type is!” 

There’s only one option left. Kenma’s eyes dart from them to the doorway before he speedwalks himself back into the chilly air of the nighttime. And almost immediately, Kuro descends on him.

“There you are,” he says, his grin moderately threatening. “I was looking for you, y’know. You’re a hard one to find.”

“I was gonna go to bed,” Kenma mumbles.

Kuro blinks, glances at his watch. “It’s like 9 PM.”

“We have to be up early tomorrow,” Kenma says.

Kuro starts walking, and only because he’s still desperately trying to escape Noya and Tanaka and their magazines, Kenma follows behind him. “It’s only for a little bit,” Kuro says, like it’s not a big deal. “Just a few of us trying to get some practice. And we could always use an extra setter.”

“An extra…?” Kenma says. 

“Bokuto usually brings his setter along,” Kuro explains, and before Kenma can ask who exactly Bokuto is, Kuro’s opening the door to the gym. Kenma peeks inside to see there are already two people waiting there - the ace of Fukurodani, the one that Shouyou had been raving about, as well as Fukurodani’s setter - one that Kenma had taken notice of during the course of their Fukurodani match. Both of them turn to look at Kenma, and Kenma almost wants to take off running. He doesn’t like people’s eyes on him, much less the eyes of two strangers. But then the ace with the weird hair lets out a noise that almost sounds like a hoot. 

“You’re one of Karasuno’s setters!” he says. “The one with the pudding hair! Hey, you got ‘im here, Kuroo!” 

The setter looks almost apologetic. “He means to say that he’s Bokuto Koutarou,” the setter says coolly. “I’m Akaashi Keiji. Pleasure to meet you.” 

“Kozume K-Kenma,” Kenma stutters out, keeping his eyes on the ground. 

“Kenma here’s graciously offered to be our backup setter,” Kuro says, one of his hands gently falling on Kenma’s shoulder. Kenma wants to protest, to tell them that he absolutely had not agreed to do any such thing, but he gets a little distracted by the fact that Kuro is touching him, his hand resting on Kenma like it’s natural. Only Shouyou really touches him. And Shouyou’s Shouyou, extra touchy and clingy with literally everyone; it’s the way he’s always been. He’s never been touched by someone that he… that he…

_ No.  _ Kenma pushes that thought far down. 

“Aw, great!” Bokuto says. “Now we just gotta get some more hitters and shit! Hey, Kuroo, weren’t you gonna train that new pipsqueak of yours?”

“He’s taller than you, Bokuto-san,” Akaashi points out.

“Don’t just crush me like that!” Bokuto wails. Kenma looks on in bewilderment. He’s heard of Bokuto Koutarou, of course, from Shouyou - one of the top 5 aces in the nation. But he’d certainly never expected that someone that’s as highly discussed in the world of volleyball would behave like this. It’s almost like being around the loud idiots from his own school.

“Right, I gotta go get Lev,” Kuro says. “Be right back.” And then he’s gone, and Kenma’s left alone with Bokuto and Akaashi.

Akaashi gives him a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry,” he says. “I’m not sold on being here either. But Bokuto-san insists he needs the practice.” 

“I mean, we’re here, may as well practice!” Bokuto says. 

“I want to sleep,” Kenma mumbles. 

“Unfortunately, there’s not too much sleep during these training camps,” Akaashi says. “But it is a good chance to get better at the game.”

Kenma’s not even sure he wants to get better at the game. It’s just a high school thing, after all. But well, it is kind of interesting, playing against Nekoma, playing against Kuro. And if he has to level up to be able to beat them eventually… then maybe he should give it a shot. He gives a slight nod. “I guess.”

When Kuro returns, he has the tall silver-haired newbie from his team, but he also has with him a familiar face. Kenma blinks. “Tsukishima?” 

“Kenma-san,” Tsukishima says, his voice almost pleading.

“I told this young one he needs to work on his blocks,” Kuro says, giving Tsukishima a slap on the back. Tsukishima startles and then directs a sharp glare at Kuro, which then turns to a pleading glance at Kenma.

“He has a point,” Kenma says. “Daichi’s been telling you for a while now that you need to work on your block technique, and Kuro’s blocks are fairly good, surprisingly enough.”

He immediately regrets speaking, because Bokuto’s hooting “was that an insult?” and Kuro’s crowing “that sounds like a compliment” and Tsukishima is muttering “of course you’d take  _ his  _ side” and Kenma despises being here. Really. His only ally is Akaashi, who gives him a sympathetic gaze. 

“Hey, Kenma,” Kuro says, his voice warm -  _ too  _ warm. Suspiciously warm. Kenma glances over at him, and he beams in response. “Wanna do me a favor and help Lev with receives?” 

Absolutely Kenma does not.

He motions for Kenma to come over, though, and despite all one million of his reservations Kenma does so. “Your team needs this salty kid’s blocks to be better if you want to stand a chance against us in the Battle of the Trash Heap,” Kuro says with an air of finality in his tone. “And it’s been my coach’s dream forever to play in that battle set on the Nationals stage. So please. For your team’s sake, and for me.” Kuro gives him those big puppy dog eyes. “Help me out here.” 

As much as Kenma hates to admit it, Kuro has a point. He’s sure that the senpai on his team would love to be able to play a good match against Nekoma, and some of the others as well, not to mention Coach Ukai. And he, himself… the idea of playing against Nekoma in Nationals is becoming more and more appealing. If all he has to do to get the team to that goal is throw balls at Nekoma’s weakest link so that Kuro can help Tsukishima, then he supposes it’s a sacrifice he can make.

He gives a tiny nod. “Okay, fine. This better be worth it.”

Kuro’s face lights up in response, and for a second, they just stand there, their gazes connected. It feels nice, Kenma thinks, to be able to make someone happy. He’s made Shouyou happy before, but the smallest things make Shouyou happy: seeing a caterpillar crawling on his bag, for example, so it doesn’t feel as much like an accomplishment.

Then Bokuto starts shouting about how “it’s time to get started, man!” and their gaze breaks. Kenma’s brought back down to earth as he goes to throw balls for Haiba Lev. 

.

Lev may very well be the most intolerable person Kenma’s ever met.

Kenma isn’t fond of mincing words, so he tells Lev the truth to his face: he’s terrible. His receives are terrible. He has the athleticism and strength to do well, but he just has no skill at all. None of his receives go even close to where they’re supposed to. Kenma feels like he’s going to scream. He gets enough terrible receives having Shouyou on his team; he doesn’t want to work with someone who’s even worse. 

But after half an hour or so, Kuro beckons him back over. “We’ve been doing blocking practice for a while now,” he says. “I could use a little bit of hitting practice, and I’m sure Lev could too.”

Kenma doesn’t really want to toss for Lev either, but it’s better than throwing balls at him, so he agrees.

He quickly finds that tossing for Kuro is an entirely new experience.

It feels like they’re incredibly in sync, more in sync than Kenma usually is with people; Kuro jumps at just the right time to hit Kenma’s tosses, and Kenma can practically envision the type of toss that Kuro would like best. When he comes down off a particularly good hit, Kuro turns and beams at him, his face glinting slightly with sweat, and Kenma can’t deny it any longer.

He has a raging crush on Kuroo Tetsurou. 

It’s stupid, Kenma thinks. There aren’t many people he could tolerate for long periods of time. He loves Shouyou, but he knows with Shouyou’s relentless energy and proclivity for constant conversation, he’d never be able to keep up with him for a long period of time. His team members are generally too obnoxious, too loud, too disrespectful of boundaries, too nervous (that’d be a disaster, two nervous wrecks), or too grumpy. But Kuro, somehow, despite his talent for provocation and his slight obnoxiousness, has a soft side and a bright smile and a natural chemistry with Kenma and Kenma can see himself tolerating Kuro for practically forever.

Now that’s a horrifying thought.

The ball hits Kenma on the head, startling him out of his deep thought. Kuro cackles, and Kenma can’t help but think about how endearing it is all over again. “Welcome back to earth,” he teases.

Kenma glares and grabs the ball. He can feel Tsukishima’s gaze of disapproval on him, probably judging Kuro’s laugh -  _ this is the guy you’re all moony over? How pathetic,  _ he can practically hear Tsukishima say. But he ignores it and tosses the ball to Lev, who crashes into the net and sends Kuro into a fit of laughter that’s joined by Bokuto this time.

It’s going to be a long training camp, Kenma thinks.

.

Both he and Tsukishima attempt to escape from extra training the next night. They hide out in the Karasuno room, but unfortunately they have double agents on the Karasuno team, because they get dragged back out by the rest of the team. 

“Both of you,” Kuro hums, sounding every bit like a scolding parent, “skipping out on practice, I hear? How do you expect to enjoy the sport if you aren’t trying to get better?”

“It’s just a club,” Tsukishima scoffs. “It doesn’t matter that much.” 

That sends Bokuto off into a fit of screaming and protesting, but Kenma can’t say that he wholly disagrees. It’s just something he’s doing in high school, after all. And generally, except for a few moments when he’s playing against Nekoma, it’s not all that interesting. So he doesn’t really get the big fuss about Tsukishima’s comments.

Regardless, both of them fall into a routine. They show up to the evening practice every night of training camp, practicing with Kuro, Bokuto, Akaashi, and then, later on, Shouyou and Lev as well. Kenma notices the look of elation on Shouyou’s face when he gets to step into the third gym for the first time. It reminds him of the way he feels when he’s fighting against a really hard boss. 

When Kenma expresses this to Shouyou, Shouyou laughs. “I guess it does look like that,” he says. “But you know, you have that look on your face when you’re in the gym too!” 

“I do not,” Kenma says. “Why would I look like that? Volleyball is just okay. It’s just something I do, not something I get excited about.”

Shouyou looks at him thoughtfully. “I guess it must not be about volleyball, then!” he says. “Maybe it’s about someone that’s with you in the gym…”

Once again, Shouyou is no good at subtlety. Kenma feels his face heat up. “It is not,” he protests, even as he knows it’s not true. It’s not his fault that Kuro’s a little bit interesting, a little bit safe, a little bit something he can’t quite name, and he’s a little bit head over heels. But he doesn’t want everyone else to know that.

Shouyou just motions Kenma out to the court. “Toss for me!” he chirps. It’s one of Shouyou’s better qualities - his attention can reliably be lured to volleyball at any point in time. 

Kenma just hopes he’s not so obvious to everyone else. 

.

The last night of training camp, after yet another four vs. four (Kuro had somehow managed to lure a very reluctant Daichi into extra practice, claiming it’s for the benefit of his team), Kuro motions him over as they leave the gym. “Come with me,” he says, his eyes wide and earnest.

“It’s late,” Kenma points out. It’s been a long day with way too much volleyball for his liking; all he wants is to crawl into his futon and never come back out. 

But Kuro’s eyes are pleading. “C’mon, Kenma,” he says, his voice soft. “It’s our last night together.” 

Kenma hasn’t thought about it like that, but he supposes it’s true. He won’t be able to see Kuro every day for a while. He’ll have to communicate with him exclusively through text messages. It’s because of this reason alone that he gives in and walks with Kuro, up to the top of the hill near the gym. Kuro sprawls out on the grass and beckons Kenma to lay down beside him. Despite Kenma’s reservations, there’s something about the scene: Kuro sprawled out under the moonlight, open and warm and free, that lures him down to lie on his back by Kuro’s side.    
  


Kuro turns over to smile at him. It’s not the smirk he wears too often on the court; it’s genuine, and it takes Kenma’s breath away. He can’t find the words to say. Kuro says, “It’s beautiful tonight.” 

“You’re not even looking at the sky,” Kenma points out softly.

“I don’t have to,” Kuro responds. 

Kenma never thought he’d have a cliche high school romance. He figured that there would never be anyone that’d be interested in him that way, that it’d be him alone for all of high school, and he’d been okay with that. But then Kuroo Tetsurou had found him on the road in Tokyo, and somehow, despite it all, he hasn’t gotten tired of Kenma yet. Kenma doesn’t want to let him go.

He’s a little bit surprised when Kuro turns towards him, cups his face, and whispers, “D’you mind if I…”

“I don’t mind,” Kenma whispers back, his voice a little bit shaky. It’s his first kiss, after all, and he thinks it’s normal to be nervous about it. But if it’s Kuro, he thinks… if it’s Kuro, it’s okay. 

Their lips meet. Kuro’s mouth is soft and warm, and he moves hesitantly at first, his hand lightly stroking through Kenma’s hair as they kiss. There aren't any fireworks or anything, but then again, that hadn’t been what Kenma was looking for. He likes the pleasant warmth that spreads through him at Kuro’s kiss much more.

When they part, Kuro stares at him, his eyes wide. “That was…” His voice is hoarse. He clears his throat. “Kozume Kenma, I really, really like you.” 

The heat rushes to Kenma’s cheeks. It’s too much. He ducks his head down, leaning over to bury it in Kuro’s chest, and Kuro snakes an arm around him to pull him closer. “I like you too,” he mumbles into the safe fabric of Kuro’s chest.

Kuro gives a small laugh and presses a light kiss to the top of Kenma’s head. “I’m glad to hear it,” he says. “It would kind of suck if you didn’t.”

They lie like that for a while, just basking in each other’s presence, occasionally kissing and discussing things - their families, their home lives, their friends, their teams. It feels like something out of a dream, like something Kenma couldn’t have envisioned he could ever have. It’s too good to be true. 

Kenma’s a little afraid that after this perfect night, when the sun rises, it’ll all be over. 

But for now, he’ll just bask in this moment.

.

Kenma spends the next day as a zombie, since he’d barely slept the night before. Unfortunately, the rest of his team has noticed as well. “Hey, where were ya last night, huh?!” Noya demands, jabbing a sharp elbow into his side. 

“Ow,” Kenma says, glaring at Noya.

“Yeah!” Tanaka says. “You came back awfully late! And usually you’re the first one asleep!”

“Leave him alone,” Ennoshita says with an air of finality, but there’s something curious in Ennoshita’s gaze as well when it falls on him. Kenma curses himself for falling into stupid Kuro’s trap. But when he makes eye contact with Kuro from across the gym and Kuro winks at him, he feels his face heat up all over again.

Later that day, though, they have to leave. Following a less-than-subtle gaze from Kuro, Kenma sneaks off to meet him behind the gym. Kuro opens his arms and Kenma falls into them, feeling the slightest bit melancholic all of a sudden. Somehow, it seems, Kuro can tell, because he kisses him on the top of his head, then his forehead, and says, “Don’t be upset.” 

“I’m not upset,” Kenma says, though it’s clearly a lie.

“You are,” Kuro says. “But it’s okay. We’ll text every day, right? And we’ll see each other at Nationals.”

“You have to get there,” Kenma tells him insistently. 

“Oh, believe me, sweetheart. We will.” 

“Don’t call me that,” Kenma grumbles, but he buries his head further into Kuro’s chest. It’s warm, he thinks, and Kuro’s arms are tight around his back, which makes him feel safe and secure. He doesn’t want to let go.

But people are going to notice that he’s gone soon, which means they’ll have a million stupid questions to ask him. He stretches up to leave a final, firm kiss on Kuro’s lips. “I’ll see you soon,” he promises. 

There’s a dopey smile on Kuro’s face. “I’ll text you in five minutes.”

“Isn’t that a little much?”

“For you,” Kuro says gallantly, “it’s never enough.”

They rejoin their teams, Kenma pointedly ignoring his fellow second-years when they start to drill him about where he’s been. Instead, he says goodbye to the rest of Nekoma, to Bokuto and Akaashi, to Haiba Lev - thank  _ god  _ he doesn’t have to deal with him any longer. He climbs onto the bus and presses himself against the window. Kuro catches his eye as he waves, offering a tiny quirk of his lips that Kenma returns. 

Kenma will definitely miss him, Kenma realizes. But they’ll see each other again. Kenma will make sure of it. 

They’ve just got a couple of other teams to beat first. He’s - no,  _ they’re _ going to destroy Oikawa Tooru and Ushijima Wakatoshi, and Karasuno’s going to go to Nationals for the first time in years.

Because that’s the only way he’ll be able to play against Kuro again.

.

From:  _ Kuro _

Miss you already.

To:  _ Kuro _

it’s been five minutes since the bus pulled away

From:  _ Kuro _

Feels like more.

To:  _ Kuro _

my stupid teammates keep trying to look over my shoulder to see who i’m texting.

From:  _ Kuro _

Tell them that it’s your amazing, handsome, glorious, hilarious boyfriend

To:  _ Kuro _

first of all no i’m not telling them that. second of all is that what we are? 

From:  _ Kuro _

I mean… I’d like it a lot if that’s what we were

To:  _ Kuro _

i’d like that too

.

From:  _ Kuro _

[1 Attached Image]

To:  _ Kuro _

your hair is such a mess

From:  _ Kuro _

This kind of slander from my own boyfriend… I think it looks good. Like the stylishly messy look y’know? Makes it look like you’re not trying too hard

To:  _ Kuro _

or you just can’t get rid of your bedhead

From:  _ Kuro _

How did you know that?! 

To:  _ Kuro _

i mean, i was just hoping that it wasn’t styled like that on purpose

From:  _ Kuro _

You wound me

To:  _ Kuro _

you look… good, though.

From:  _ Kuro _

I felt your hesitation but regardless I’ll take the compliments where I can get them

From:  _ Kuro _

Do I get a picture of you? I miss your face

To:  _ Kuro _

i look like shit after volleyball practice

From:  _ Kuro _

I saw you after playing volleyball all the time at training camp, and I still thought you looked beautiful, even after you were totally soaked with sweat

To:  _ Kuro _

that’s gross

[1 Attached Image]

From:  _ Kuro _

Oh my god I was right you look amazing holy shit Kenma you are the most beautiful creature on the entire planet

To:  _ Kuro  _

i am not, shut up

From:  _ Kuro _

Is that Tsukki in the background? Tell him I said hi

To:  _ Kuro _

he wrinkled up his nose and asked me why i’m talking to the rat hair bastard

From:  _ Kuro _

And after I was such a giving person who taught him how to block?? I’m personally offended

To:  _ Kuro _

he appreciates it, i can tell. and i’m sure the rest of our team does too

From:  _ Kuro _

Thank me by getting to Nationals.

To:  _ Kuro _

you’d better get there first before you worry about us 

.

To:  _ Kuro _

are you awake?

From:  _ Kuro _ _   
_ I am now, what’s going on? 

To:  _ Kuro _

nothing, it’s just a bad dream. i didn’t mean to wake you up. you should go back to sleep

From:  _ Kuro _

Hey, hey, it’s fine. I’m already awake now anyways, and besides I’d always be willing to sacrifice a tiny bit of sleep if it’s for you. Let’s talk. Can I call you?

To:  _ Kuro _

yeah. yeah, that would be good

_ Incoming Call: Kuro _

_ Call Duration: 1:12:32 _

From:  _ Kuro _

Sleep well, baby. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.

To:  _ Kuro _

thank you. for everything.

From:  _ Kuro  _

You don’t need to thank me. I’m always happier when I’m talking to you, anyways.

To:  _ Kuro _

you’re more than i deserve

From:  _ Kuro _

It’s definitely the other way around.

.

To:  _ Kuro _

HEY ARE YOU THAT BIG HAIR CAPTAIN FROM NEKOMA?

From:  _ Kuro _

? Kenma? Are you okay?

From:  _ Kuro _

Oh shit,is this one of the other Karasuno players? That guy that’s basically twins with our Yamamoto?

To:  _ Kuro _

I AM NOTHING LIKE YAMAMOTO SHUT UP. Also tell him I said hi

To:  _ Kuro _

WHAT BUSINESS DO YOU HAVE WITH OUR SETTER?!?

From:  _ Kuro _

I… like talking to him? He’s an interesting guy.

To:  _ Kuro _

WELL YES I KNOW BUT YOU’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT!! AND HE’S ALWAYS SMILING AND SHIT WHEN HE’S TEXTING YOU!!! SO WHAT ARE YOU SAYING TO HIM?

To:  _ Kuro _

Sorry, this is Ennoshita, Kenma’s teammate. I get the feeling your ‘friend’ is going to be placed in jail for murder fairly soon, so if he doesn’t respond soon, that’s why.

From:  _ Kuro _

Oh my god…. I’m begging you to hold him back

To:  _ Kuro _

i hate my teammates

From:  _ Kuro _

You smile when you text me?

To:  _ Kuro _

forget you read that 

From:  _ Kuro _

I smile when I text you too. 

To:  _ Kuro _

stop. 

From:  _ Kuro _

Wha-? Am I not allowed to even say sappy shit to my boyfriend?!

To:  _ Kuro _   
you’re gonna make me miss you even more

From:  _ Kuro _

Oh my god Kenma I miss you more 

To:  _ Kuro _

i refuse to do the whole i miss you more thing but regardless i would win

From:  _ Kuro _

UNTRUE

.

From:  _ Kuro _

Yamamoto said he talked to Yamamoto 2.0 on your team and apparently you’re playing Seijoh today?

To:  _ Kuro _

yeah, we are. it’s gonna be a tough one. 

From:  _ Kuro _

You’re gonna kick their asses. And then you’re gonna beat Shiratorizawa and Ushijima Wakatoshi and meet us at Nationals.

To:  _ Kuro _

i really hope so

.

They’re able to do it.

With the combined strength of their entire team - with Shouyou’s quickness, with Noya’s incredible saves, with the blocking skills that Tsukishima had picked up from Kuro, with Yamaguchi’s serves, with Tanaka’s hits, with Daichi’s receives, with Asahi’s kills, with Suga’s sets, with his own strategies - they’re able to take down Aoba Johsai and then, perhaps most shockingly, Shiratorizawa. 

It’s not an easy game, by any means. But the second that Tsukishima blocks one of Ushijima’s spikes, Kenma can’t help the smile that spreads over his face. He’ll have to thank Kuro for that one later. But from that moment on, he knows that they’ve got it in the bag - that their team,  _ this team,  _ is going to go to Nationals together. He’s going to get to play against his boyfriend on the grand state of Nationals. He’s sure of it. 

He watches with satisfaction as the quick toss that he sent to Shouyou is slammed down onto the other side of the court, exactly where none of the Shiratorizawa players can get it, and he keeps that look on his face as the entire gym erupts into chaos. Daichi grabs Asahi and Suga into a hug, and almost everyone else tackles Shouyou. Ennoshita ruffles Kenma’s hair. “Good choice,” he says quietly.

“He would’ve killed me if I sent it to someone else,” Kenma says with a shake of his head. “Besides, I could tell that Ushijima was underestimating him, and that annoyed me.”

“You and your twisted motivations for doing things.” Ennoshita shakes his head, seeming slightly bemused. 

“WE WOOOOON,” Noya bellows, jumping onto Kenma’s back. Kenma does his best to shake him off, but Noya’s grip is tight, almost like a chokehold. “What, Kenma, are you not excited?! Dude, we’re goin’ to the Big Leagues!” 

“He needs to breathe to be able to answer you,” Asahi interrupts with no small amount of anxiety in his tone. “Noya, please. He might actually choke!” 

Noya finally hops off and starts poking at Ennoshita’s sides. “Fallen crows no more, baby!”

Then Shouyou is pulling Kenma into a hug, screaming in his ear about how he’d done it,  _ they’d  _ done it, and Kenma shakes his head. Even he’s starting to get a little teared up: they’re no longer the fallen crows, they’re going to Nationals, and he’s going to get to play a real game against the person who’s quickly becoming his favorite person in the world.

He sends a text to Kuro later that night:  _ we won. we’re going to nationals. _

_ I knew you could do it. I’m extremely proud. See you there, kitten  _ is his response, and Kenma falls asleep with a tiny smile on his lips. 

.

On the way to Nationals, Kenma ends up sitting next to a bouncing Shouyou. He tries to sing some kind of made-up song about the road to Nationals or something before Kenma vetoes that, and then he bounces up and down on his seat until he notices Kenma texting. “Hey, who ya texting?” he says, peering over at Kenma’s phone. “That tall guy? Your boyfriend?”

Kenma figures Shouyou’s bound to figure it out anyways once they get to Nationals, and besides he probably should have told him a long time ago anyways, so he says, “Something like that.”

“Whaaat?” Shouyou practically jumps out of his seat. “Is the Nekoma captain actually your boyfriend? Oh my god!”

“Keep your voice down,” Kenma says patiently. “But yeah. He is.”

“We all knew already,” Tsukishima says dryly from where he’s seated with Yamaguchi in the seat behind them. Yamaguchi gives a little snicker, and Kenma glares at the both of them. 

“But he’s so scary!” Shouyou cries. “He’s all like  _ grargh  _ and  _ aargh  _ and  _ blegh! _ I’m pretty sure he could skin me alive!” 

Kenma exhales through his nose in his attempt not to laugh. It’s true that the first time he’d seen Kuro he’d also had the same misconceptions, but in comparison with the dorky, incredibly loving boy that he knows now, it seems laughable to think that he’d once been terrified of Kuro. He says, “He only seems that way. But actually, he’s just a big dork.”

“That guy?!” Hinata yelps.

“He’s a pain in my ass is what he is,” Daichi gripes from in front of them. 

Suga smacks him on the arm, a teasing smirk on his face. “Don’t talk like that in front of the kids,” he mock-gasps, and Daichi rolls his eyes at him.

Kenma ignores them and taps a message into his phone instead:  _ see you soon.  _

Nationals is  _ huge _ . He can feel Shouyou at his side jumping around in wonder, oohing and awwing at everything. Kenma just has a strong urge to run back to the bus. He’s not sure he wants to play here, under these strong lights and the scrutiny of every bystander. 

But then there’s a warm, strong, familiar hand on his shoulder, and he whips around to make eye contact with a grinning Kuro. He forgets for a second where he is; all he can think about is that damn, this is his boyfriend, his Kuro, and he hasn’t seen him in  _ months _ . So he launches himself at Kuro’s chest and lets Kuro catch him, pulling him close.

“Get a room!” Tanaka jeers. 

“I think it’s sweet,” he can hear Asahi say softly behind him, and then Daichi muttering something along the lines of, “Isn’t this a conflict of interest?”

He’s sure he’s the color of a tomato by now, so he just buries his head in Kuro’s chest to recollect himself for a moment before he pulls back, giving Kuro a long, meaningful look.  _ We’ll talk later,  _ his gaze says, and Kuro replies,  _ been looking forward to this for months. _

“Regardless of my affections,” Kuro says to Daichi, “when we play you later on, we’re gonna kick your asses.”

“We’ll see about that,” Daichi says confidently. “I think you underestimate us.”

“Well, you do have the world’s best setter,” Kuro says, his voice softening, and Kenma wants to hide all over again.

“Hey!” comes a deep voice from behind Kuro. 

“Sorry, Kageyama,” Kuro drawls. “You just don’t have the same appeal.”

Shouyou’s ears seem to perk up, and he darts out from Kenma’s side to square up to the black-haired setter by Kuro’s side. “You again!” he says. “I’m gonna beat you! No matter what! I’m gonna be the last one on the court!”

“Oh,” Kageyama says, sounding unimpressed. “I guess we’ll see about that. But I’m sure we’re going to win.”

“Nuh-uh,” Shouyou says. “You just haven’t seen my team in action yet!”

“I did, actually. When we won.”

“But we have new moves! We’re gonna destroy you this time!” 

“We have new moves too, dumbass.” 

“Yeah, well, we have a secret weapon, so there!”

Kenma turns back to Kuro, leaning slightly against his arm. Kuro intertwines their fingers, gives his hand a light squeeze, and then lets go. “Those two don’t know the first thing about civility,” he mumbles to Kenma.

“To be fair,” Kenma mutters back, “our method of civility is a little unconventional.”

“That’s what makes it the best kind of inter-team unity,” Kuro says, his smile lopsided and stupid. 

(If only they weren’t in the middle of a gym so Kenma could kiss it away.)

.

They beat Tsubakihara in two straight sets, and Nekoma takes down Kiyokawa. Inarizaki is a little more difficult: what with their wily setter Miya Atsumu, it’s a difficult battle, but they’re able to claw their way through it, and Nekoma takes down Sarukawa Tech. 

Kenma can’t help the thrill of excitement that runs through him as he traces the bracket over to see that their next opponent is Nekoma.

He takes his seat on the bench at the beginning of the match, and Kuro waves at him stupidly from the court. He ignores the confused looks from the referee and the crowd, probably wondering what the hell the captain of the Nekoma team is doing waving to a Karasuno benchwarmer. Right now all he’s concerned about is taking down Nekoma. This is a match where there’s no second chances, no restarts. It’s win or lose. And Kozume Kenma intends to win.

He stays on the bench the entire first set, giving his strategies during timeouts, keeping careful observation on every player - Kuro and his blocks, Lev and his (admittedly improved, but still not amazing receives). The libero’s notable saves, the wing spikers that aren’t standouts but are relentlessly reliable, and of course, Kageyama, the standout setter that tries to bring out the best in his team members and can do those amazing quick sets to some of their players. The problem is, though, that Kageyama’s playstyle doesn’t seem to vibe all that well with the general feeling of the rest of the Nekoma team, which seems to be based on general team strength rather than the strengths of individual players. Kenma wonders to himself how that works.

They lose the first set, though, and then Kenma is put out onto the court. Kuro grins at him from across the net. “Welcome,” he says softly. “I’ve been waiting for you to join the match.” Nearly word-for-word what he’d said the first time Kenma had been put in the match to play against him.

Kenma’s chest squeezes. “I’m ready,” he says. “Ready to win.”

“Ohoho,” Kuro replies, raising an eyebrow, “we’ll see about that.”

Generally, Kenma doesn’t believe in theories of willpower or guts. He doesn’t believe in giving his 100% to any one thing, especially volleyball. It’s not worth it. However, right here, on this court, playing against Kuroo Tetsurou and the rest of Nekoma, Kenma decides he’s got to give his 100% - no, his 110%. As much as he can give. 

He’s still not a standout player by any means. He puts all of himself into making sure the ball doesn’t drop, though, and into his strategies. He makes careful calculations regarding where the blockers will be and where the best place to send the ball is, and he sends it to everyone - to Tanaka, to Asahi, to Shouyou, to Daichi, to Tsukishima. And he gets  _ into  _ the match.

It becomes especially obvious when he dives for a ball that’s typically way out of his normal range, screams “THE BALL HASN’T DROPPED YET!”, and can practically hear everyone’s jaws dropping. But it doesn’t matter, he doesn’t care. 

He’s playing against the final boss.

Kuro taunts him with careful grins, with blocks that are perfectly constructed even against his best hitters, with quick hits directed just out of his reach. Kenma plays right back into his hands: setter dumps right in front of Kuro’s nose, trying to figure out which direction Kuro’s heading in and sending the ball in the opposite direction. After a particularly good play, Kuro wheezes out, “You’re a sadistic little shit, you know that?”

His tone is loving, not even remotely angry, so Kenma knows it’s said in the heat of the game. He raises an eyebrow. “I told you I was in it to win it.”

“Then I intend to give you all of my effort in return,” Kuro says, his voice low. They stare at each other through the holes in the net. Kenma wonders how big of a penalty it’d be if he tried to launch himself at Kuro through the net, but quickly remembers how bad of an idea that is.

Karasuno takes the second set. They’ve improved so quickly as a collective team that this is not shocking to Kenma: not only the first years, but also the upperclassmen. Asahi’s improved his confidence, Daichi his hits, Noya has developed even more crazy receives, and Tanaka has somehow upped his spirit even more as he roars after every kill. They huddle together after the match, Kenma doling out his strategies, and he can’t help but smile as he sees the animation on all of their faces.  _ This is fun,  _ he thinks.

“This is fun,” he says after he slides onto the ground in the middle of the third match, having just narrowly missed a ball Kuro had sent his way. 

Tanaka’s eyes widen significantly, and Asahi makes a choking noise. “Well, Mr. No-Enthusiasm-For-Anything,” Daichi says, “we’re glad to hear it.”

He fights hard. Nekoma is tricky; their setter has insane strategies, and Kuro’s equally as cunning. They’re unpredictable. He doesn’t know what move they’re going to pull out next. He gets tricked a couple of times. But in the end - 

In the end, the score is 21-24, Karasuno lead. Kageyama goes for a ball, and tosses it high, insanely fast, into the air. All of the Nekoma hitters jump into the air, seeming to move as fast as they can, but they can’t make it to it in time - not even Kuro this time. The ball hits the ground on Nekoma’s side of the court.

“All right, lucky Karasuno!” Shouyou hoots. “Now let’s get this next point-”

“There’s no next point,” he finds himself saying as he slides backwards onto the ground. “It’s over.”

It’s over. They’ve won. He’s beat his final boss. And yet, it somehow doesn’t feel as satisfying as he’d imagined it would, even less as someone steps to their side of the court to offer him a hand. “How was it?” Kuro asks, voice soft.

“Are you even allowed to do that?” he hears Noya hiss to Asahi from behind them, and Asahi replies, “Probably not,” but neither of them make a move to stop him, which he appreciates.

He takes Kuro’s hand. “It was fun,” he says. “I want to do it again.”

“Unfortunately,” Kuro says as he lifts Kenma to his feet, “that was my last match.”

“I…” Kenma doesn’t have the words. He stares at Kuro in shock, everything piecing together - his boyfriend is a third year, after all, and Nationals is an all-or-nothing. He’d just eliminated his own boyfriend from the tournament. 

It hurts.

He can’t say anything, so he steps forward, wrapping his arms around Kuro’s torso and pulling him close. It doesn’t matter that they’re in the middle of the court, with the eyes of everyone and their mother on them. It only matters that Kuro grips the back of Kenma’s jersey and buries his face in Kenma’s hair. His whole body shudders, over and over again, and Kenma strokes his back.  _ I’m sorry,  _ he wants to say, but he can’t bring himself to say it.

“Don’t be sorry,” Kuro says once his shudders have calmed down a little bit. It’s kind of scary how well Kuro can read him after only months of knowing each other; it’s something Kenma’s never experienced before, nothing he’d imagined he could ever experience. “I got to see you enjoying the game. I got to participate in the Battle of the Trash Heap. I got to play in one of the best games at Nationals, and hell, I even got our team to Nationals. I did what I came here to do. I don’t have any regrets.”

Kenma tilts his head up, a small smile painting his lips. “I’m still sorry.”

“I’m glad I got to do this game with you,” he whispers. “Win ‘em all for us, yeah?”

After another minute, Kuro extracts himself to go rejoin his team, to wrap his arms around his fellow third-years and head off of the court. They yell back at Karasuno that they’re going to be watching from the stands. The rest of his team surrounds Kenma all of a sudden, clapping him on the back and praising him for his tosses. 

“You were totally badass!” Noya exclaims. 

“Hm,” Kenma says, because he doesn’t believe it, and then, “Well, we’ve got another few matches to win, don’t we? This isn’t the end.”

“Who are you and what have you done with Kenma?” Suga asks, elbowing him lightly.

“I’m telling you,” Tsukishima says ominously. “The real Kenma was abducted by aliens.”

“Shut up,” Kenma says, hiding his face down towards the ground. But he lets his chest flutter as his fellow second-years hook their arms around his neck to lead him off of the court, telling him that he’s got to start prepping his strategy for the next game ahead of time so that they can be sure to win it. He casts a glance off into the distance, off to where the Nekoma team is meeting with their coach, a faraway look on Kuro’s face.

_ We’re going to win this,  _ he promises - to himself, and to Kuro.  _ We’re gonna win this for us and for you. _

_ Thank you, Kuro. Thank you for getting me into volleyball. _

**Author's Note:**

> This fic has been a long time in the making. For some reason, I've been desperately wanting to see Karasuno Kenma - how he'd interact in certain situations, his dynamic with other team members, and this was the best I could do. Fear not, though, I'm hoping to make this a series and hopefully explore some more situations with Kenma in this universe.  
I apologize if certain things are unrealistic, or if the volleyball scenes weren't written the best - I did the best I could having not played competitively since high school, but hopefully it's okay enough!  
Thank you all so much for reading, and please leave a comment to let me know what you think!


End file.
